]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/11/19/ufc-undisputed-3-tattoo-provokes-lawsuit/feed/1THQ sold UFC to EA for failing to break even on UFC Undisputed 3http://www.vg247.com/2012/06/07/thq-sold-ufc-to-ea-for-failing-to-break-even-on-ufc-undisputed-3/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/06/07/thq-sold-ufc-to-ea-for-failing-to-break-even-on-ufc-undisputed-3/#commentsThu, 07 Jun 2012 18:58:06 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=267837THQ has told Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter that it sold its Ultimate Fighting Championship franchise to Electronic Arts because it failed to break even on UFC Undisputed 3, which shipped 1.4 million units – 600,000 or so units short of the 2 million copies needed, reports Gamasutra. During EA’s E3 press event this week, UFC president Dana White took the stage to announce the transition of the UFC’s license to EA Sports, which will see the firm publishing multiple games, through a multi-year exclusivity deal. In the wake of the sale, THQ’s San Diego studio was shut down.
]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/06/07/thq-sold-ufc-to-ea-for-failing-to-break-even-on-ufc-undisputed-3/feed/2UFC Undisputed 3: Serious license, serious fighterhttp://www.vg247.com/2012/02/23/ufc-undisputed-3-serious-license-serious-fighter/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/02/23/ufc-undisputed-3-serious-license-serious-fighter/#commentsThu, 23 Feb 2012 06:50:25 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=235546A couple of weeks ago it was a non-entity; now everyone’s buying, playing and talking about UFC Undisputed 3. What’s caused this strange outbreak of passion among the fickle consumer base?

Who the heck is playing UFC Undisputed 3? I wasn’t planning on it. Just look at all these amazing arguments against it, presented by that most eloquent of master debaters, Mr Internet:

It’s a fighter, but doesn’t have specials and fireballs, therefore it must be a button masher.

It’s a licensed tie-in, which is a kiss of death.

THQ published it and everyone knows what that means; there is a curse.

I don’t actually agree with any of these points, but in my message board haunting, I concluded that these opinions are more widespread than they have turned out to be. Even after years of practice, it’s not always easy to guess which games are going to go big and which are going to fade away – but I was pretty sure UFC Undisputed 3 was in the latter category.

So wrong. UFC Undisputed 3 was top of the charts in the UK this week; it’s all over my Twitter feed at all hours; it’s one of the most-searched titles in several territories. What on earth is going on?

Some of it is timing of course; for those not interested in smacking fairies in Reckoning, it’s been a bit of a dry spell release-wise, ahead of the avalanche at the end of the month – but a lot more of it is the growing power of the UFC license.

Founded in 1993, UFC is the largest mixed martial arts name in the world, and in late 2010, it really took off. Cable TV deals have turned this most brutal of sports into spectacle events best enjoyed on the huge screen of your local sports bar, or late at night, hunched over a livestream. Merchandising is mega. Local tournaments have to be slapped with lawsuits to keep them from quietly appropriating the brand. Our favourite Texan Nathan Grayson turns his Twitter feed into an incomprehensible lists of names and moves whenever a fight goes down. UFC has grown from something you can safely to ignore to a cultural force you should know at least a little bit about, and then will probably sign up to for life if you have interest in watching astonishingly powerful men hurt and or cuddle each other.

That’s all well and good, of course, but what’s really wonderful about the increased clout of the property it is that THQ used it properly, leaving out the cheap tie-ins to make something decent. Although the name isn’t familiar outside of sports and fighter-loving circles, Japanese developer Yuke’s has built up a sterling reputation for its serious treatment of realistic, modern fighters.

Both of its latest licensed efforts, WWE 12 and WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2011, were solid efforts – plain good fun and decent sellers – and the studio takes every game very, very seriously. None of their games are button mashers. Dipping into discussions of what has changed between the last UFC Undisputed game back in 2010 and the much-talked about sequel, you enter a world of jargon and terminology akin to reading a Street Fighter patch log – despite the lack of projectiles and other marks of a “serious” fighter.

The critics are in agreement with the fans: UFC Undisputed 3 holds an 87 Metacritic average on PlayStation 3, and an 85 on Xbox 360. On Xbox 360, 43 of the 45 reviews score 75 or more, as do all of those on PlayStation 3. While it’s up to you how seriously you take reviews, that’s not a result THQ can be disappointed in. The publisher may be backing away from it’s kids’ licenses but as long as it continues its commitment to genuinely honouring the top sporting properties it holds, there seems to be no obstacle to the rise of a new breed of “serious fighters” wearing a delightful real-world skin.

UFC Undisputed 3 is available now on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/02/23/ufc-undisputed-3-serious-license-serious-fighter/feed/4UFC Undisputed 3 demo lands on XBL and PSNhttp://www.vg247.com/2012/01/24/ufc-undisputed-3-demo-lands-on-xbl-and-psn/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/01/24/ufc-undisputed-3-demo-lands-on-xbl-and-psn/#commentsTue, 24 Jan 2012 13:28:38 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=228440A demo for UFC Undisputed 3 has landed on PSN and XBL. The demo features a matchup between current UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones and current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. In addition, the Pride Mode rivalry between champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Wanderlei Silva is included. The demo also offers mirror matches against another player or AI as the same fighter for the “ultimate test of skill.” UFC Undisputed 3 is currently scheduled for release on February 14 PS3 and Xbox 360.
]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/01/24/ufc-undisputed-3-demo-lands-on-xbl-and-psn/feed/1UFC Undisputed 3 demo launching next weekhttp://www.vg247.com/2012/01/20/ufc-undisputed-3-demo-launching-next-week/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/01/20/ufc-undisputed-3-demo-launching-next-week/#commentsFri, 20 Jan 2012 09:58:22 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=227793THQ’s confirmed the demo for UFC Undisputed 3 will launch on Xbox Live next Tuesday. And that’s that: no word on fighters or the like that will feature in the taster. A PS3 version isn’t mentioned, although it’s assumable that will arrive at the same time.

Full game’s out on February 18 in Europe for PS3 and 360. Thanks, Kotaku.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/01/20/ufc-undisputed-3-demo-launching-next-week/feed/1UFC Undisputed shows off bumper rosterhttp://www.vg247.com/2012/01/18/ufc-undisputed-shows-off-bumper-roster/
http://www.vg247.com/2012/01/18/ufc-undisputed-shows-off-bumper-roster/#commentsWed, 18 Jan 2012 01:29:06 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=227202There are 150 characters in UFC Undisputed 3, and you can brutally kick the living shit out of all of them.

This is a wildly different scenario to daily life where, let’s face it, 99% of us would go down after being kicked in the shins by a kindergartener, let alone facing off against one of these hulking athletes. Thanks, video games!

UFC Undisputed can make all your engagingly violent dreams come virtually true in mid-February, on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/01/18/ufc-undisputed-shows-off-bumper-roster/feed/1THQ Q2: Space Marine sells 1.2M units on all formatshttp://www.vg247.com/2011/11/02/thq-q2-12-sales-hit-146-million-digital-revenue-up-68-yoy/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/11/02/thq-q2-12-sales-hit-146-million-digital-revenue-up-68-yoy/#commentsWed, 02 Nov 2011 20:34:33 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=213679THQ has released its Q2 report for fiscal 2012 ending September 30, and it finds the firm reporting net sales of $146 million, compared with $77.1 million in the prior-year period. Net losses hit $92.4 million compared with a net loss of $47 million year-over-year.

Accounting for the digital revenue accrued from online games, THQ’s net loss was $46.6 million compared to a loss of $40.6 million, yoy. Keeping digital in mind, sales were up 70% to $119.6 million.

“We are encouraged that our second quarter performance exceeded our expectations, particularly in a quarter with a light release schedule,” said Brian Farrell, THQ president and CFO.

“Our two biggest quarters of the year remain ahead of us, and we are focused on execution. In Q3 we are planning for the largest quarter in our history, in terms of sales and earnings, driven by Saints Row: The Third, the uDraw GameTablet, and WWE ’12.

“With UFC Undisputed 3 launching in the fourth quarter, we are well-positioned to deliver a strong second half of fiscal 2012.”

THQ’s digital revenues for the six months ending September 30 were 68% higher than the same period one year ago. The company expects strong growth in digital revenues year-over-year for the remainder of fiscal 2012.

Space Marine goes big for the quarter

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine moved 1.2 million units across all formats for the quarter.

According to Farrell, Warhammer titles tend to sell better in Europe, and since it is mainly a PC series, it tends to sell better through digital distribution. Space Marine posted positive physical sales as well, but the firm would not break down console versus PC sales when asked on a call to investors following the release of its financial report.

While Farrell refused to discuss much pertaining to the firm’s upcoming MMO, Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online, he did say that monetization mechanisms will be set in-game, but the core title is to be sub-based at this point.

“What we’ve done is make the business model within Dark Millennium Online flexible so we can use different business models in different territories and exploit the game on a worldwide basis,” he said. “We will have not just one business model, like subscriptions. There will be other monetization mechanisms in the game. The team is being very thoughtful about how we maximise monetization in this game.”

Farrell would not comment any further on the matter or the game itself.

Saints Row and its release on Origin

The budget for Saints Row’s advertising is twice that of Homefront’s, and Farrell announced that the game was given a 9.5 from Xbox Magazine.

“We look at Origin as another digital outlet. Wherever our consumer is, we want to get to them.”

Farrell also revealed that over 3/4 of a million characters have been created for Saints Row: The Third since its creation service, Initiation Station, went live yesterday.

“We look at Origin as another digital outlet,” said Farrell. “We like competition and we like that they may have different audiences.

“We have no digital distribution platform plans for ourselves, and when differentiating between the various outlets, well, our point of view is wherever our consumer is, we want to get to them.”

Plans for Q3 and FY 2013

THQ expects net sales for Q3 to be the “highest ever in the company’s history”, due to WWE 12 and Saints Row 3. The firm’s line-up is leaning towards PS3 and Xbox 360 titles, which is where most of the firm’s revenue stems.

The firm plans to ship a little less than double what UDraw tablets shipped this time last year, which was around the 1.3 million mark. The device is to release for PS3 and Xbox 360 in time for the holidays.

Metro Last Light, Devil’s Third, Darksiders 2, and the WWE franchise will be the firm’s focus next year, and it has decided to delay Disney Animator into FY13. UFC Undisputed 3 has also been delayed from its initial January 2012 release, and will now hit stores on February 14 instead.

A game announcement for one of the firm’s franchises is expected next month.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/11/02/thq-q2-12-sales-hit-146-million-digital-revenue-up-68-yoy/feed/8Quick shots – Shiny pectorals abound in UFC Undisputed 3 screenshttp://www.vg247.com/2011/10/20/quick-shots-shiny-pectorals-abound-in-ufc-undisputed-3-screens/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/10/20/quick-shots-shiny-pectorals-abound-in-ufc-undisputed-3-screens/#respondThu, 20 Oct 2011 01:02:54 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=210166It’s wrong to reduce the highly skilled and brutal efforts of UFC to a comment on how a lot of men have their tops off. But just look at them! Nipples as far as the eye can see.

UFC Undisputed 3 is the latest effort from Yuke’s, after the series skipped a year, and is due on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in January, with the European launch lagging several weeks behind the US debut.

New features include Pride Mode, commentary from Bas Rutten and Stephen Quadros, a new submission system, traditional and simplified controls, new divisions, and a new emphasis on striking. Thanks to fan activity, middleweight champion Anderson Silva is going to grace the cover.

Depending on where you pre-order you can grab one of several packs of goodies including early access to fighters and items for the game’s career mode.

GameStop pre-order customers will be able to pick up the ‘Contenders Fighter Pack’ which offers up UFC newcomers Jason “Mayhem” Miller, Brian Stann, Phil Davis and Nick Diaz. These are some of the top up-and-coming names within the world of UFC.

Best Buy customers will be able to grab an ‘Early Access Pass’, a really handy pack that will give players early access to 150 in-game items for your custom created fighters. That includes everything from shirts and hats to nicknames that you’d otherwise had to unlock. You’ll also get a couple more fight scenarios in the ‘Ultimate Fights Mode’ as a “Legendary Chuck Liddell” playable fighter.

Those who pre-order on the Walmart website will get access to the ‘Ultimate Fights: Knockout Pack’ which features five of the most memorable knockouts in the history of the UFC. The pack is meant to complement the game’s Ultimate Fights mode.

The fourth and final pre-order bonus comes to those who order from Amazon in the US or FutureShop in Canada. The ‘Ultimate Knockout Artist Boost Pack’ is a booster for your in-game created fighter, boosting your stats with around 8-10 hours’ worth of experience that’ll give you a head-start on everyone else.

UFC Undisputed 3 is set to launch on PS3 and Xbox 360 in January. Thanks, CVG.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/09/23/thq-confirm-ufc-undisputed-3-pre-order-bonuses/feed/0UFC Undisputed 3 game play video shows off The Ground Gamehttp://www.vg247.com/2011/09/21/video-ufc-undisputed-3-game-play-trailer-shows-of-the-ground-game/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/09/21/video-ufc-undisputed-3-game-play-trailer-shows-of-the-ground-game/#commentsWed, 21 Sep 2011 13:53:07 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=204182Check below for an eight minutes of game play showing off UFC Undisputed 3’s ground game, with added developer commentary.

Thanks, StolenGlory

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/09/21/video-ufc-undisputed-3-game-play-trailer-shows-of-the-ground-game/feed/1THQ opens public poll for UFC Undisputed 3 cover athletehttp://www.vg247.com/2011/08/29/thq-opens-public-poll-for-ufc-undisputed-3-cover-athlete/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/08/29/thq-opens-public-poll-for-ufc-undisputed-3-cover-athlete/#commentsMon, 29 Aug 2011 07:26:58 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=199073THQ’s opened up a public poll for UFC Undisputed 3 that decides who will be the fighter’s main cover athlete. There’s a choice of five fighrers to pick from for the box: Frank Edgar, Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre and Cain Velasquez. You can vote on who gets the honours here.

UFC Undisputed 3 launches next January for PS3 and 360.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/08/29/thq-opens-public-poll-for-ufc-undisputed-3-cover-athlete/feed/1UFC Undisputed 3 trailer shows new moveshttp://www.vg247.com/2011/08/22/ufc-undisputed-3-trailer-shows-new-moves/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/08/22/ufc-undisputed-3-trailer-shows-new-moves/#respondMon, 22 Aug 2011 06:54:56 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=197501THQ’s released a new trailer for UFC Undisputed 3, showing the new moves the fighter sequel has up its sleeve for the sequel. The clip shows various new combat and submission moves that we couldn’t detail specifically because we know nothing about UFC. Watch the trailer below, via Joysitq. Game’s out in January for PS3 and 360.

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/08/22/ufc-undisputed-3-trailer-shows-new-moves/feed/0THQ bringing Darksiders II, Saints Row, Space Marine to gamescomhttp://www.vg247.com/2011/08/10/thq-bringing-darksiders-ii-saints-row-space-marine-to-gamescom/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/08/10/thq-bringing-darksiders-ii-saints-row-space-marine-to-gamescom/#commentsWed, 10 Aug 2011 10:26:27 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=192980THQ’s announced it’s taking Darksiders II, Saints Row: The Third, Warhammer 40k: Space Marine and more to gamescom next week, with the former debuting to a public audience for the first time. WWE ’12, Metro: Last Light also make the trip to Cologne. Get the full lot below, and our preview of the show here.

Saints Row: The Third

Darksiders II

Warhammer 40k: Space Marine

Metro: Last Light

WWE ’12

UFC Undisputed 3

uDraw HD

adidas MiCoach

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/08/10/thq-bringing-darksiders-ii-saints-row-space-marine-to-gamescom/feed/4THQ announces line-up for EG Expohttp://www.vg247.com/2011/08/02/thq-announces-line-up-for-eg-expo/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/08/02/thq-announces-line-up-for-eg-expo/#commentsTue, 02 Aug 2011 15:01:31 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=191011THQ has announced its line-up for this year’s Eurogamer Expo. Folks attending the event will get hands-on time with Saints Row: The Third, WWE 12, UFC Undisputed 3 and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine. The firm is also taking part in the event’s developer sessions, with a further announcement expected in the coming weeks. The EG Expo takes place September 22-25 at Earl’s Court.
]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/08/02/thq-announces-line-up-for-eg-expo/feed/5First UFC Undisputed 3 trailer enters the ringhttp://www.vg247.com/2011/06/06/first-ufc-undisputed-3-trailer-enters-the-ring/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/06/06/first-ufc-undisputed-3-trailer-enters-the-ring/#respondMon, 06 Jun 2011 01:44:11 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=176202THQ has released the first trailer for UFC Undisputed 3 ahead of its showing at E3 this week.

Announced last week, UFC Undisputed picks up from UFC Undisputed 2010, dropping the yearly label and hopefully shedding that title’s poor reception and performance.

Saints Row: The Third, WH40K: Space Marine and WH40K: Kill Team – which was only announced today for PSN and XBLA – will also be on show.

But Darksiders II, despite being a “thing” as of yesterday, will not be attending the show.

The rest of the line-up is below.

Margaritaville Online

Metro: Last Light

MX vs ATV Alive DLC

Saints Row: The Third

uDraw for PS3 and 360

UFC Personal Trainer

UFC Undisputed 3

UFC Undisputed: Fight Nation

Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team

WWE ’12

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2011/06/02/thq-confirms-e3-line-up-darksiders-ii-is-no-show/feed/6UFC Undisputed 3 announced for early 2012http://www.vg247.com/2011/06/02/ufc-undisputed-3-announced-for-early-2012/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/06/02/ufc-undisputed-3-announced-for-early-2012/#respondThu, 02 Jun 2011 07:54:37 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=175294THQ’s made official UFC Undisputed 3, confirming the new iteration of the fighting series for an early 2012 launch.

The game, which will be on show at E3 next week, will feature Pride matches that are based on the now-defunct Pride Fighting Championship, according to GameSpot.

There are also changes to the striking and grappling gameplay systems, as well as trying to make the experience more friendly to experienced and new players of the series.

There’s a preview of it and interview with the game’s dev team at GameSpot.

It’s the first proper UFC title, not including Fitness Trainer, since UFC Undisputed 2010, which performed sluggishly in sales. It’ll launch on 360 and PS3.